Luxury train travel

>>1297664
just do it in a country you like. it is more expensive than flight in almost every circumstance, and the only places ot wont take less than a day to cross the country are china and russia

>>1297677
do china have luxury trains? read that the golden tsar does trips from moscow to beijing on a 21 day trip or so but its incredibly expensive.

>>1297677
Wrong.
Sleeper train is often cheaper than flight + hotel (+ meals when provided).

OP I did a high-end~ish train trip in South Africa with Premier Class trains from Cape Town to Jo'berg. Highly recommended. Staff was really nice, food was good and the atmosphere was great.

>>1297722
aah thats good to hear, do you remember the name of the train company which provided this service?
also how long did it take?

>>1297722
at some point i considered Rovos Rail as they seem to have cheaper prices compared to Belmont for example, but their best trips are about 15000 dollars.

>>1297798
http://southafricanrailways.co.za/premier_classe.html
We left in the morning and reached Jberg before lunch the next day. It has a real old school feel, you have hand written tickets waiting for you in the lobby of the designated area in the station. You drop your luggage to a groom, and go wait at the lounge sipping on coffee and nibbling on shortbreads. When it's time to board, you are shown to your berth where your luggage awaits, then invited to a departure cocktail at the restaurant car. They treat you sparkling wine and biltong and give you a rundown. You have your designated table for lunch dinner and breakfast, and eat like at the restaurant: white tablecloth, cutlery and all. They turn your booth into bed during dinner so when you return to your berth you just have to slip under the sheets and sleep. Real nice. The cost was about 220€/person if I recall well.

>>1297799
Yeah hence the ~ish in my post, the real luxury train travel is so fucking expensive. But it must be magical too, to me only train travel gives you the chance to enjoy comfort, service, luxury, scenery and peace. I guess luxury cruises come next but staring at the sea for days is a major turndown for me, plus the "true" luxury cruises I've seen (private catamaran with crew) are in smaller boats and it makes me fear I'd be seasick.

>>1297664
There's one in Southern Africa (not just za) that is pretty much the only thing left on my bucket list.

I'm saving for that now, and the heroin I will end myself with after.

I rode one once, there was a murder and the mystery was solved by a Belgian detective with a funny mustache I believe his name was.....Sherlock Holmes?

>>1297806
thank you, this was just like something i was looking for, its a really nice starter when you´ve never rode on before and you can slowly work your way up the luxury train ladder whilst this serves as a nice introduction. Awesome, thanks again dude!

>>1297970
No prob bro, I'm no shill but can't deny it was a great memory, and South Africa itself remains one of my favorite destinations so far.

>>1297664
you can cross australia on the ghan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghan

>>1297988
have you tried the Ghan yourself? looks interesting.

I travelled in one last month from Brussels to Amsterdam and shit, I prefered that to a plane. Internet, wall sockets, good food and seats are 10/10

>>1297677
>it is more expensive than flight in almost every circumstance
This. Always this.
>>1297722
>Sleeper train is often cheaper than flight + hotel (+ meals when provided).
You haven't done one more than one trip. If you had, you would know that you are simply wrong.

OP, the train experience itself varies in luxury. The best experiences are indeed private cars catering to passengers, but they are more historic than actually luxurious. If you are a reader and love nostalgia, it's definitely bucket list to do these while the trains are still lovingly maintained. But, what many people will not tell you is that most trrain trips are on the boring side if you don't travel with enjoyable people or are on one of the actual scenic routes of the world. Scenic rides are breathtaking and more worth seeking out for that aspect alone. This is where you should focus your research.

>>1298042
Prove me wrong then

>>1298042
ah thanks for the tip! really didnt take that much into account to be honest, but that does make sense. Will definetly check out the scenic rides. Heard that the Royal Scotsman west route is quite spectacular when it comes to scenic views although expensive.